Method and apparatus for defining routing of customers between merchants

ABSTRACT

A server or Internet service provider computer selects a soliciting merchant and an outputting merchant based on various factors. In one embodiment, the soliciting merchant is selected is its activity rate (e.g. sales rate) is low. The outputting merchant provides offers for bonuses to customers on behalf of the soliciting merchant. The bonus is provided to the customer in exchange for consummating a transaction with the soliciting merchant. Thus, the soliciting merchant benefits from the increased patronage such offers encourage.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is related to co-pending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 09/098,240 entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR APPLYING ANDTRACKING A CONDITIONAL VALUE COUPON FOR A RETAIL ESTABLISHMENT” filed onJun. 16, 1998 in the name of Jay S. Walker and Andrew S. Van Luchene;and is further related to co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No.______ entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING A DISCOUNT TO ACUSTOMER THAT PARTICIPATES IN TRANSACTIONS AT A PLURALITY OF MERCHANTS”filed on Oct. 5, 1998 in the name of Jay S. Walker, Andrew S. VanLuchene, Magdalena Mik and Daniel E. Tedesco (Attorney Docket No.WD2-98-042); and is further related to co-pending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. ______ entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FORMAINTAINING A CUSTOMER DATABASE USING LICENSE PLATE SCANNING” filed onOct. 5, 1998 in the name of Jay S. Walker, Joshua D. Rogers and AndrewS. Van Luchene (Attorney Docket No. WD2-98-059), each of which isassigned to the assignee of the present application and each of which isincorporated by reference herein as part of the present disclosure.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to methods and apparatus forproviding discounts.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Merchants rarely experience consistent levels of sales. It ismore typical that a merchant will experience periods of low salesactivity interspersed with brief periods of high sales activity.Inconsistent sales activity, such as during cyclic or seasonal periods,makes it difficult for merchants to make inventory and pricingdecisions. Merchants would like to entice customers to visit thebusiness, particularly during periods of low sales activity. Merchantswould particularly like to entice each customer to participate intransactions, such as purchases or simply visiting the store, morefrequently.

[0004] It is difficult for a merchant to respond quickly to changingconditions. For example, if sales activity is low in the morning, themerchant cannot successfully advertise in time to attract customers thatsame morning. Since the merchant typically cannot know precisely when itwill need customers (i.e. “slow days”) and when customers will be inabundance, attracting customers at optimal times if difficult orimpossible.

[0005] It would be advantageous to provide a method and apparatus thatallowed a business to more effectively attract customers at desirabletimes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] It is an object of the present invention to provide a method andapparatus for more effectively attracting customers at desirable times.

[0007] In accordance with the present invention, a server or Internetservice provider computer selects a soliciting merchant and anoutputting merchant based on various factors. In one embodiment, thesoliciting merchant is selected is its activity rate (e.g. sales rate)is low. The outputting merchant provides offers for bonuses to customerson behalf of the soliciting merchant. The bonus is provided to thecustomer in exchange for consummating a transaction with the solicitingmerchant. Thus, the soliciting merchant benefits from the increasedpatronage such offers encourage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008]FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an apparatus provided inaccordance with the present invention.

[0009]FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of another embodiment of anapparatus provided in accordance with the present invention.

[0010]FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of an Internet service providerof the apparatus of FIG. 1.

[0011]FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of a merchant web server of theapparatus of FIG. 1.

[0012]FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of a POS terminal of theapparatus of FIG. 1.

[0013]FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of an embodiment of a merchantdatabase of the Internet service provider of FIG. 3.

[0014]FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of a record of anotherembodiment of a merchant database of the Internet service provider ofFIG. 3.

[0015]FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of an embodiment of an offercriteria database of the Internet service provider of FIG. 3.

[0016]FIG. 9 is a schematic illustration of an embodiment of a prioritydatabase of the Internet service provider of FIG. 3.

[0017]FIG. 10 is a schematic illustration of a record of an embodimentof a bonus database of the Internet service provider of FIG. 3.

[0018]FIG. 11 is a schematic illustration of a record of an embodimentof a bonus database of the Internet service provider of FIG. 3.

[0019]FIG. 12 is a schematic illustration of an embodiment of an offerdatabase of the Internet service provider of FIG. 3.

[0020]FIG. 13 is a schematic illustration of an embodiment of an offersummary database of the Internet service provider of FIG. 3.

[0021]FIG. 14 is a schematic illustration of an embodiment of aninventory database of the POS terminal of FIG. 3.

[0022]FIG. 15 is a schematic illustration of a record of an embodimentof a customer database of the POS terminal of FIG. 3.

[0023]FIGS. 16A and 16B are a flow chart illustrating an embodiment of amethod provided in accordance with the present invention.

[0024]FIGS. 17A and 17B are a flow chart illustrating another embodimentof a method provided in accordance with the present invention.

[0025]FIG. 18 is a flow chart illustrating another embodiment of amethod provided in accordance with the present invention.

[0026]FIGS. 19A and 19B are a flow chart illustrating another embodimentof a method provided in accordance with the present invention.

[0027]FIG. 20 is a flow chart illustrating another embodiment of amethod provided in accordance with the present invention.

[0028]FIG. 21 is a flow chart illustrating another embodiment of amethod provided in accordance with the present invention.

[0029]FIG. 22 is a flow chart illustrating another embodiment of amethod provided in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0030] In accordance with the present invention, a soliciting merchantmay direct (“route”) customers from other merchants to participate intransactions (e.g. purchases) with the soliciting merchant. In oneembodiment, during periods of low activity the soliciting merchant maydirect customers from other merchants by directing the merchants, knownas “outputting merchants”, to provide offers for bonuses to thecustomers on behalf of the soliciting merchant. The bonus is generally adiscount such as a reduced purchase price or credit to a credit cardaccount.

[0031] The offer may define conditions that the customer must meet inorder to receive the bonus. The customer may meet the conditions whileparticipating in a second transaction with the soliciting merchant. Forexample, the customer may be required to spend at least a minimumpurchase price at the second merchant on a particular day. Once theconditions are satisfied, the bonus is awarded to the customer. In oneembodiment, the bonus is applied by crediting a credit card account usedduring the first and/or second transaction.

[0032] The present invention is particularly advantageous in that itallows various merchants to participate in mutually beneficial“co-branding” opportunities. The present invention may be employed in anembodiment where the customer conducts transactions remotely via apersonal computer or similar device for communicating remotely with astore controller. For example, a customer may use his computer to accessthe World Wide Web sites of merchants, indicate purchases, and pay bytransmitting a credit card number to the merchants.

[0033] Referring to FIG. 1, an apparatus 100 includes a user computer110 that is in communication with an Internet service provider computer120. The user computer 110 is typically a personal computer operated bythe customer and equipped to access the Internet or other electronicnetwork. The Internet service provider computer 120 is a computer thatenables the user computer 110 to access the Internet in a manner knownin the art. Accordingly, the Internet service provider computer 120 maybe of the type controlled and/or operated by America Online, Prodigy, orMicrosoft for offering Internet connectivity and content to users.

[0034] The Internet service provider computer 120 is in turn incommunication through the Internet with a merchant web servers 130, 140and 150 in a manner known in the art. As is also known in the art, themerchant web servers 130, 140 and 150 may control “web sites” that maybe accessed by the user computer 110 upon entering appropriate commands.Although three merchant web servers are shown in FIG. 1, any number ofmerchant web servers may be in communication with the Internet serviceprovider computer 120 without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent invention.

[0035] The Internet service provider computer 120 may perform many ofthe processes described below as performed by a merchant web server,especially those processes that are performed for more than one merchantweb server. The Internet service provider computer 120 may also storedata that is used by more than one merchant web server.

[0036] The present invention may also be advantageously employed in anembodiment where the customer conducts transactions at physical stores,such as stores in a mall. Similarly, the customer may conducttransactions by communicating via a telephone with catalog merchants,such as Land's End.

[0037] Referring to FIG. 2, an apparatus 200 includes a server 210 thatis in communication with store controllers 220, 230 and 240 by means ofa network such as Microsoft First Datacorp (“MSFDC”). The server 210directs the operation of, stores data from, and transmits data to thestore controllers 220, 230 and 240. The server 210 is a computing devicethat can communicate with one or more store controllers. The server 210may be a computer that is owned and/or operated by a credit cardclearinghouse such as First Data Corporation.

[0038] Although three store controllers are shown in FIG. 2, any numberof store controllers may be in communication with the server 210 withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The storecontrollers 220, 230 and 240 are typically located in different stores,such as in different stores of a mall. Similarly, the store controllers220, 230 and 240 may each control different catalog merchants. The storecontrollers may also be computers that direct an “online store”, such asa web server that receives and processes orders for goods. In such anembodiment, each store controller would be equivalent to a merchant webserver depicted in FIG. 1. Similarly, in such an embodiment the server210 would be equivalent to the Internet service provider 120 depicted inFIG. 1.

[0039] The server 210 may perform many of the processes described belowas performed by a store controller, especially those processes that areperformed for more than one store controller. The server 210 may alsostore data that is used by more than one store controller.

[0040] Each store controller is in communication with one or more POSterminals. Specifically, the store controller 220 is in communicationwith POS terminals 245 and 250, the store controller 230 is incommunication with a POS terminal 255 and the store controller 240 is incommunication with POS terminals 260 and 265. The POS terminals may be,for example, the NCR 7454 manufactured by NCR Corporation or the IBM4683 manufactured by International Business Machines. Each storecontroller directs the operation of, stores data from, and transmitsdata to the POS terminal(s) with which it is in communication. Forexample, as described below, each store controller may store a databaseof inventory to indicate to the POS terminals the prices of itemspurchased.

[0041] Referring to FIG. 3, reference numeral 300 indicates a moredetailed illustration of the server 210 (FIG. 2) or, in anotherembodiment, of the Internet service provider 120 (FIG. 1). A processor302 that comprises one or more conventional microprocessors such as theIntel® Pentium® microprocessor is in communication with a data storagedevice 304, such as an appropriate combination of magnetic, opticaland/or semiconductor memory. The processor 302 and the storage device304 may each be (i) located entirely within a single computer or othercomputing device; (ii) connected to each other by a remote communicationmedium, such as a serial port cable, telephone line or radio frequencytransceiver; or (iii) a combination thereof. For example, referencenumeral 300 may represent one or more computers that are connected to aremote computer for maintaining databases.

[0042] The processor 302 is also in communication with an input device306, a printer 308 and a display device 310. The input device 306 maycomprise a keypad for transmitting input signals to the processor 302.Other types of input devices are known to those skilled in the art. Theprinter 308 is for registering indicia on paper or other material. Thedisplay device 310 is operative to display at least alphanumericcharacters, and thus may be any of a number of known video monitors,liquid crystal displays (“LCD”) or light emitting diode (“LED”)displays. Many types of input devices and display devices are known tothose skilled in the art, and need not be described in detail herein.

[0043] The storage device 304 stores a control program 320 forcontrolling the processor 302. The processor 302 performs instructionsof the control program 320 and thereby operates in accordance with thepresent invention and particularly in accordance with the methodsdescribed in detail herein. The control program 320 furthermore includesprogram elements that may be necessary, such as an operating system and“device drivers” for allowing the processor 302 to interface withcomputer peripheral devices, such as the input device 306, the printer308 and the display device 310. Appropriate device drivers and othernecessary program elements are known to those skilled in the art andneed not be described in detail herein.

[0044] The storage device 304 also stores (i) a merchant database 322,(ii) an offer criteria database 324, (iii) a priority database 326, (iv)a bonus database 328, (v) an offer database 330, and (vi) an offersummary database 332. In addition, other devices (e.g. the storecontrollers of FIG. 2 or the merchant web servers of FIG. 1) may obtaininformation from the databases stored by the storage device 304. As willbe understood by those skilled in the art, the schematic illustrationsand accompanying descriptions of the databases presented herein areexemplary arrangements for stored representations of information. Anumber of other arrangements may be employed besides the tables shown.Similarly, the illustrated entries represent exemplary information, butthose skilled in the art will understand that the number and content ofthe entries can be different from those illustrated herein.

[0045] In various embodiments, any or all of the above-describeddatabases could be stored (i) on the computer of an Internet serviceprovider (“ISP”), (ii) on another computer on the Internet, or (iii)locally on the consumer's computer (e.g. in the browser software or in a“cookie” or other file). In other embodiments, any or all of theabove-described databases could be stored by POS terminals.

[0046] Referring to FIG. 4, a store controller 400 is descriptive of anyor all of (i) the store controllers 220, 230 and 240 (FIG. 2), as wellas (ii) the merchant web servers 130, 140 and 150. The store controller400 includes a processor 402 that comprises one or more conventionalmicroprocessors such as the Intel® Pentium® microprocessor. Theprocessor 402 is in communication with a data storage device 404, suchas an appropriate combination of magnetic, optical and/or semiconductormemory. The processor 402 and the storage device 404 may each be (i)located entirely within a single computer or other computing device;(ii) connected to each other by a remote communication medium, such as aserial port cable, telephone line or radio frequency transceiver; or(iii) a combination thereof. For example, the store controller 400 maycomprise one or more computers that are connected to a remote computerfor maintaining databases.

[0047] The processor 402 is also in communication with an input device406, a printer 408 and a display device 410. The input device 406preferably comprises a keypad for transmitting input signals to theprocessor 402. The printer 408 is for registering indicia on paper orother material. The display device 410 is operative to display at leastalphanumeric characters to the customer and/or cashier, and thus may beany of a number of known video monitors, liquid crystal displays (“LCD”)or light emitting diode (“LED”) displays. Many types of input devices,printers and display devices are known to those skilled in the art, andneed not be described in detail herein.

[0048] The storage device 404 stores a control program 420 forcontrolling the processor 402. The processor 402 performs instructionsof the control program 420 and thereby operates in accordance with thepresent invention and particularly in accordance with the methodsdescribed in detail herein. The control program 420 furthermore includesprogram elements that may be necessary, such as an operating system and“device drivers” for allowing the processor 402 to interface withcomputer peripheral devices. Appropriate device drivers and othernecessary program elements are known to those skilled in the art andneed not be described in detail herein.

[0049] The storage device 404 also stores (i) an inventory database 422,and (ii) a customer database 424. In another embodiment, one or more POSterminals or merchant web servers may store one or more of the databases422 and 424. The databases 422 and 424 are described in detail below anddepicted with exemplary entries in the accompanying figures. As will beunderstood by those skilled in the art, the schematic illustrations andaccompanying descriptions of the databases presented herein areexemplary arrangements for stored representations of information. Anumber of other arrangements may be employed besides the tables shown.Similarly, the illustrated entries represent exemplary information, butthose skilled in the art will understand that the number and content ofthe entries can be different from those illustrated herein.

[0050] Referring to FIG. 5, a POS terminal 500 is descriptive of any orall of the POS terminals 220, 230 and 240 (FIG. 2). The POS terminal 500includes a processor 502 that comprises one or more conventionalmicroprocessors such as the Intel® Pentium® microprocessor. Theprocessor 502 is in communication with a data storage device 504, suchas an appropriate combination of magnetic, optical and/or semiconductormemory. The processor 502 and the storage device 504 may each be (i)located entirely within a single computer or other computing device;(ii) connected to each other by a remote communication medium, such as aserial port cable, telephone line or radio frequency transceiver; or(iii) a combination thereof. For example, the POS terminal 500 maycomprise one or more computers that are connected to a remote computerfor maintaining databases.

[0051] The processor 502 is also in communication with an input device506, a printer 508 and a display device 510. The input device 506 maycomprise one or more of (i) a keypad for transmitting input signals tothe processor 502; (ii) a card reader for reading magnetically-encodedinformation on cards passed therethrough, such as credit cards, frequentshopper cards and identity cards; (iii) an optical scanner for readingbar codes, such as bar codes registered on items of inventory; (iv) atouch screen for generating signals that indicate when and where thescreen has been touched, pressed or actuated; and (v) a card reader forreading from and writing to a chip-based “smart card” such as thosemanufactured by Mondex. The printer 508 is for registering indicia onpaper or other material, thereby printing receipts, coupons and vouchersas commanded by the processor 502. The display device 510 is operativeto display at least alphanumeric characters to the customer and/orcashier, and thus may be any of a number of known video monitors, liquidcrystal displays (“LCD”) or light emitting diode (“LED”) displays. Manytypes of input devices, printers and display devices are known to thoseskilled in the art, and need not be described in detail herein.

[0052] The storage device 504 stores a control program 520 forcontrolling the processor 502. The processor 502 performs instructionsof the control program 520 and thereby operates in accordance with thepresent invention and particularly in accordance with the methodsdescribed in detail herein. The control program 520 furthermore includesprogram elements that may be necessary, such as an operating system and“device drivers” for allowing the processor 502 to interface withcomputer peripheral devices. Appropriate device drivers and othernecessary program elements are known to those skilled in the art andneed not be described in detail herein.

[0053] Referring to FIG. 6, a table 600 illustrates an embodiment of themerchant database 322 (FIG. 3). The table 600 includes entries 602, 604and 606, each of which describes a merchant that owns, operates orcontrols a store controller or a merchant web server. It will beunderstood by those skilled in the art that the table 600 may includeany number of entries. The table 600 also defines fields for each of theentries 602, 604 and 606, which specify (i) a merchant identifier 620for uniquely identifying the merchant, (ii) a name 622 of the merchant,(iii) an address 624 of the merchant, (iv) a standard industryclassification (“SIC”) code 626 of the merchant which defines a merchantclass of the merchant, (v) billing instructions 628 indicating how themerchant will be billed, (vi) an amount owed 630 by the merchant, (vii)a payment due date 632 on which the merchant must remit payment, (viii)a budget amount remaining 634 for the merchant, (ix) a frozen portion636 of the budget amount, and (x) a priority 638 to be given to themerchant.

[0054] Referring to FIG. 7, a table 700 illustrates a record of themerchant database 322 (FIG. 3) in another embodiment of the presentinvention. In such an embodiment, the merchant database 322 includes aplurality of records, each of which describes a merchant that owns,operates or controls a store controller or a merchant web server. Thetable 700 includes the merchant identifier and merchant name 702. Thetable 700 also includes entries 704 and 706, each of which describesanother merchant (a “soliciting merchant”) and the relation between thesoliciting merchant and the merchant described by the record. It will beunderstood by those skilled in the art that the table 700 may includeany number of entries. The table 700 also defines fields for each of theentries 704 and 706, which specify (i) a soliciting merchant identifier720, (ii) whether the merchant described by the record will output forthe soliciting merchant 722, (iii) a fee 724 that the merchant describedby the record will require in return for outputting an offer for thesoliciting merchant, and (iv) a priority 726 that the solicitingmerchant has. The priority may be used to select a soliciting merchantfor which to output an offer if it is possible to output for more thanone soliciting merchant.

[0055] Referring to FIG. 8, a table 800 illustrates an embodiment of theoffer criteria database 324 (FIG. 3). The table 800 includes entries802, 804, 806 and 808, each of which describes criteria for definingwhen to provide an offer for a bonus. The offer is provided to acustomer if the customer satisfies criteria while participating in afirst transaction with a first merchant. The first merchant, known as an“outputting merchant”, outputs the offer for a bonus once the customersatisfies the criteria. It will be understood by those skilled in theart that the table 800 may include any number of entries. The table 800also defines fields for each of the entries 802, 804, 806 and 808, whichspecify (i) a criteria identifier 822 for uniquely identifying thecriteria, (ii) a merchant identifier 824 that identifies the outputtingmerchant, (iii) a required purchase price 826 that must be met in orderto receive an offer for the bonus, (iv) a time of the transaction 828that must be met in order to receive an offer for the bonus, (v) a bonusidentifier 830 that uniquely identifies the bonus, and (vi) thesoliciting merchant 832 on whose behalf the outputting merchant providesthe offer. The required purchase price 826 and time of transaction 828represent criteria that are based on transaction data. Those skilled inthe art will understand that many other types of criteria may be used,such as the age of the customer or the type of credit card identifierused by the customer during the transaction.

[0056] The customer is required to participate in a transaction with theoutputting merchant in order to receive the offer for the bonus. Thecustomer may also be required to participate in the transaction at anindicated time, and the transaction may be required to have an indicatedpurchase price and include an indicated item. For example, the entry 806(FIG. 8) indicates a bonus identified by “D0001”. A customer receives anoffer for the bonus “D0001” after having participated in a transactionfor more than $10.00 with merchant “M0001” on a weekday before 5:00 PM.Further criteria may be specified as will be understood by those skilledin the art.

[0057] Referring to FIG. 9, a table 900 illustrates an embodiment of thepriority database 326 (FIG. 3). The table 900 includes entries 902, 904,906 and 908, each of which describes a rule for determining prioritybetween two or more soliciting merchants. When an outputting merchantmay provide offers on behalf of two or more soliciting merchants, thesoliciting merchant with the highest priority is selected. It will beunderstood by those skilled in the art that the table 900 may includeany number of entries. The table 900 also defines fields for each of theentries 902, 904, 906 and 908, which specify (i) a rule identifier 920that uniquely identifies the rule, (ii) an indication 922 of when therule is active and to be applied, and (iii) a prioritization 924indicating which soliciting merchant(s) are to be afforded priority overothers. For example, the entry 902 defines a rule that is applied onlyafter 7:00 PM. The rule further defines that restaurants (“merchantclass=restaurant”) have higher priority (“Priority=1”) overnon-restaurants (“Priority=2”). Accordingly, after 7:00 an outputtingmerchant will output offers on behalf of a restaurant over offers onbehalf of non-restaurants.

[0058] Referring to FIG. 10, a table 1000 illustrates an embodiment ofthe bonus database 328 (FIG. 3). The table 1000 includes entries 1002,1004, 1006 and 1008, each of which describes a bonus that may be offeredto a customer of an outputting merchant and conditions which thecustomer must meet with a soliciting merchant in order to receive thebonus. The bonus is typically awarded once the customer participates ina transaction with a second (soliciting) merchant, subject to thecustomer meeting the conditions. It will be understood by those skilledin the art that the table 1000 may include any number of entries. Thetable 1000 also defines fields for each of the entries 1002, 1004, 1006and 1008, which specify (i) a bonus identifier 1020 for uniquelyidentifying the bonus, (ii) a bonus value 1022, (iii) a merchantidentifier 1024 that identifies the second (soliciting) merchant, (iv) atime of the transaction 1026 with the soliciting merchant, (v) arequired purchase price 1028 with the soliciting merchant, and (vi) arequired item to purchase 1030, if any. The time of the secondtransaction, required purchase price at the soliciting merchant, andrequired item to purchase each represent a condition which the customermust meet in order to receive the bonus. Many other conditions may beused as well.

[0059] The bonus value is typically expressed as, for example, apercentage off the previous (first) transaction during which the offerfor the bonus was made. The bonus value may also be expressed as apercentage off the current transaction. The customer is required toparticipate in a transaction with the soliciting merchant in order toreceive the bonus. The customer may also be required to participate in atransaction at an indicated time, having an indicated purchase price andincluding an indicated item. For example, the entry 1008 indicates abonus of five percent off the previous transaction. A customer receivesthis bonus after having participated in a transaction for more than$10.00 with merchant “M0001” on Saturday between 9:00 and 12:00.

[0060] Referring to FIG. 11, a table 1100 illustrates a record of thebonus database 328 (FIG. 3) in another embodiment of the presentinvention. In such an embodiment, the customer is provided with thebonus once the customer participates in a transaction with each of aplurality of soliciting merchants, subject to the customer meeting theconditions of each soliciting merchant. In one embodiment, the customermay be required to participate in the transactions in a predefinedorder. In another embodiment, no order of the transactions is required.

[0061] The table 1100 includes a bonus identifier 1102 and a bonus value1104. The table 1100 also includes entries 1106, 1108 and 1110, each ofwhich describes a soliciting merchant and conditions which the customermust meet at the soliciting merchant in order to receive the bonus. Itwill be understood by those skilled in the art that the table 1100 mayinclude any number of entries. The table 1100 also defines fields foreach of the entries 1106, 1108 and 1110, which specify (i) a merchantidentifier 1120 for uniquely identifying the soliciting merchant, (ii) atime of the transaction 1122 with the soliciting merchant, (iii) arequired purchase price 1124 with the soliciting merchant, and (iv) arequired item to purchase 1126, if any. The time of the secondtransaction, required purchase price at the soliciting merchant, andrequired item to purchase each represent a condition which the customermust meet in order to receive the bonus. Many other conditions may beused as well.

[0062] Referring to FIG. 12, a table 1200 illustrates an embodiment ofthe offer database 330 (FIG. 3). The table 1200 includes entries 1202,1204 and 1206, each of which describes an offer for a bonus that hasbeen provided to a customer. It will be understood by those skilled inthe art that the table 1200 may include any number of entries. The table1200 also defines fields for each of the entries 1202, 1204 and 1206,which specify (i) an offer identifier 1220 for uniquely identifying theoffer; (ii) a bonus identifier 1222 that uniquely identifies the bonusthat has been offered; (iii) a criteria identifier 1224 that uniquelyidentifies the criteria that the customer satisfied in order to beoffered the bonus; (iv) an outputting merchant 1226 that offered thebonus; (v) a soliciting merchant 1228 providing the bonus; (vi) acustomer identifier 1230 that uniquely identifies the customer; (vii) anoffer status 1232 which may indicate, for example, whether (and when)the offer is redeemed, unredeemed or expired; and (viii) a validityperiod 1234 that indicates when the offer is able to be redeemed. Anoffer for a bonus is considered redeemed when the bonus is provided tothe customer.

[0063] Referring to FIG. 13, a table 1300 illustrates an embodiment ofthe offer summary database 332 (FIG. 3). The table 1300 includes entries1302, 1304, 1306 and 1308, each of which describes summary informationabout bonuses that have been offered to customers. It will be understoodby those skilled in the art that the table 1300 may include any numberof entries. The table 1300 also defines fields for each of the entries1302, 1304, 1306 and 1308, which specify (i) an bonus identifier 1320for uniquely identifying the bonus, (ii) a number of offers for thebonus that were provided 1322, (iii) a number of offers for the bonusthat were redeemed 1324, (iv) a number of offers for the bonus that wereunredeemed 1326 (neither redeemed nor expired), and (v) a number ofoffers for the bonus that were expired 1328 (not redeemed before the endof the validity period of the offer). The number of offers for the bonusthat were provided is the sum of the number of offers for the bonus thatwere redeemed, the number of offers for the bonus that were unredeemedand the number of offers for the bonus that were expired. Those skilledin the art will understand that the summary information may also beorganized by offer or by offer and bonus jointly, rather than by bonusas illustrated in FIG. 13. The information in the offer summary database332 may be updated periodically (e.g. once per day) to reflect offersthat have expired or been redeemed.

[0064] Referring to FIG. 14, a table 1400 illustrates an embodiment ofthe inventory database 422 (FIG. 4). The table 1400 includes entries1402 and 1404, each of which describes an item of inventory that is soldby a merchant. It will be understood by those skilled in the art thatthe table 1400 may include any number of entries. The table 1400 alsodefines fields for each of the entries 1402 and 1404, which specify (i)an inventory identifier 1420 for uniquely identifying the item ofinventory, (ii) a description 1422 of the item of inventory, (iii) aprice 1424 for which the item of inventory is sold, and (iv) a quantityremaining 1426 of the item of inventory.

[0065] Referring to FIG. 15, a table 1500 illustrates a record of thecustomer database 424 (FIG. 4). The customer database 424 typicallyincludes a plurality of such records, each representing a customer andassociated customer information. The customer information is typicallyrecorded by the customer database 424 upon becoming registered for a“frequent shopper program” of the merchant. In other embodiment, theinformation about the customer may be acquired in another manner. Thetable 1500 includes a customer identifier 1502 that uniquely identifiesthe customer, a customer name 1504, and address 1506 of the customer anda credit card number 1508, if any, of the customer. In one embodiment,the customer identifier may be the credit card number. Accordingly, acustomer using a credit card could be identified even if he had notregistered for a frequent shopper program.

[0066] The table 1500 also includes entries 1510 and 1512, each of whichdescribes a transaction of the customer. It will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that the table 1500 may include any number ofentries. The table 1500 also defines fields for each of the entries 1510and 1512, which specify (i) a transaction identifier 1520 that uniquelyidentifies the transaction, (ii) a merchant identifier 1522 thatidentifies the merchant with which the customer interacted during thetransaction, (iii) a date and time 1524 of the transaction, and (iv) apurchase price 1526 of the transaction.

[0067] Referring to FIG. 16A, a flow chart 1600 illustrates anembodiment of a method for providing an offer for a bonus. Inparticular, the illustrated method is performed to establish a “routing”of customers from outputting merchants to soliciting merchants. Asoliciting merchant is selected (step 1602) from a plurality of possiblesoliciting merchants. Similarly, an outputting merchant is selected(step 1604) from a plurality of possible outputting merchants. Asdescribed in detail below, there are many ways in which the solicitingmerchant and outputting merchant may be selected. After a solicitingmerchant and an outputting merchant have been selected, an entry iscreated (step 1606) to indicate the soliciting merchant, outputtingmerchant and a bonus. As described above, the bonus is typically set bythe soliciting merchant, and offered to a customer of the outputtingmerchant.

[0068] Referring to FIG. 16B, a flow chart 1620 illustrates anembodiment of a method for providing an offer for a bonus. Theillustrated method is performed after an entry has been created asdescribed above with reference to the flow chart 1600 (FIG. 16A).Transaction data that represents a customer participating in atransaction with the outputting merchant is received (step 1622). Inresponse, an entry for the outputting merchant is retrieved (step 1624).For example, the offer criteria database 324 (FIG. 3) may be searchedfor entries that indicate the outputting merchant in the field 824 (FIG.8). The entry indicates a bonus, and an offer for the bonus is providedto the customer (step 1626). Such an offer may include a text or graphicdisplay to the customer, a text or graphic display to a cashier who inturn reads the offer to the customer, or an audio representation of theoffer. Many other ways of providing the offer to the customer will beunderstood by those skilled in the art. The offered bonus is recorded(step 1628). For example, an appropriate entry may be created in theoffer database 330 (FIG. 3).

[0069] Subsequently, transaction data that represents the customerparticipating in a transaction with the soliciting merchant is received(step 1630). In response, an entry for the soliciting merchant isretrieved (step 1632). For example, the offer database 330 (FIG. 3) maybe searched for entries that indicate both the customer (e.g. by thefield 1230) and the soliciting merchant (e.g. by the field 1228). Theentry indicates the bonus, and the bonus is provided to the customer(step 1634). For example, a credit card account of the customer may becredited with an amount defined by the discount. In addition, the offersummary database 332 (FIG. 3) is updated to reflect the redeemed offer.The offer database 330 is also updated to reflect the redeemed offer.

[0070] Referring to FIGS. 17A and 17B, a flow chart 1700 illustrates anembodiment of a method provided in accordance with the presentinvention. The steps of this method may be performed in whole or in partby “browser” software, such as Netscape's Communicator® or Microsoft'sInternet Explorer®, that is executed by the user computer 110 (FIG. 1).

[0071] The user computer 110 accesses the web site of an outputtingmerchant (step 1702) which allows customers to place orders online. Theuser computer 110 receives transaction data and a credit card numberfrom the customer (step 1704), and transmits the transaction data andcredit card number to the outputting merchant web server (step 1706).The credit card number identifies a credit card account that thecustomer has used to pay for the transaction. There are other waysbesides identifying a credit card account to be charged in which thecustomer may render payment.

[0072] Once the outputting merchant web server receives the transactiondata, it determines whether the customer has satisfied criteria, if any,to qualify for an offer for a bonus. If so, then the user computer 110receives data from the outputting merchant web server that indicates thebonus (step 1708). The bonus and any associated conditions are stored(step 1710), for example, in a cookie or other file on the user computer110 or on the Internet service provider computer 120 (FIG. 1). Theconditions may also be stored on the soliciting merchant web server orthe outputting merchant web server.

[0073] The user computer 110 creates (or receives) a link that displaysan offer for the bonus (step 1712). The link may be a hyperlink, banneradvertisement, additional frame, new window, or other element on the website of the outputting merchant. Alternatively, the outputting merchantweb server may alter the web site that is accessed by the user computer110. If the customer wishes to take advantage of the offer and make apurchase from another (soliciting) merchant, the user computer 110receives a command from the customer to connect to the link (step 1714)and thus access the web site of the soliciting merchant (step 1716).

[0074] The web site of the soliciting merchant likewise allows customersto place orders online. The user computer 110 receives transaction dataand the credit card number from the customer (step 1718), and transmitsthis transaction data and credit card number to the soliciting merchantweb server (step 1720). If the transaction with the soliciting merchantdoes not satisfy the conditions (step 1722), then the transaction isprocessed in a conventional manner (step 1724). Otherwise, the creditcard account is credited (step 1726) with an amount defined by thebonus.

[0075] As described above, the bonus is applied to the customer accountupon completion of a second transaction at the soliciting merchant.However, in another embodiment of the present invention, the customermay be further required to complete another transaction at the firstmerchant. Accordingly, the customer would have to participate in a firsttransaction at a first merchant, a second transaction at a secondmerchant, and then a third transaction at the first merchant. Althoughthe customer may be required to meet certain conditions during the thirdtransaction, typically the customer need not be so restrained.

[0076] Similarly, in another embodiment of the present invention thecustomer may be required to complete transactions at a plurality ofsoliciting merchants. Accordingly, the customer would have toparticipate in a first transaction at a first merchant, a secondtransaction at a second merchant, and then a third transaction a thirdmerchant. The customer may be required to participate in any number oftransactions in order to receive the offered bonus.

[0077] The routing of customers from an outputting merchant to asoliciting merchant may be based on the activity rate of the outputtingmerchant and/or the soliciting merchant. The activity rate may be anymeasure of “busyness”, such as the number of completed transactions pertime (transaction rate), the number of items purchased per period oftime (item sale rate), the number of upsells accepted by customers perperiod of time (upsell acceptance rate), the number of customers in astore, the dollar-value of sales per period of time or the number ofcustomers in the vicinity of a POS terminal. The number of customers maybe measured through input signals received from a sensor. Many othertypes of measurements may be made to determine an activity rate of amerchant.

[0078] Referring to FIG. 18, a flow chart 1800 illustrates anotherembodiment of a method provided in accordance with the presentinvention. In particular, in the embodiment illustrated by the flowchart 1800 customers are routed from the outputting merchant to thesoliciting merchant based on the activity rates of the outputtingmerchant and/or the soliciting merchant.

[0079] A first merchant is selected (step 1802), and its activity rateis measured (step 1804) to determine whether it is sufficiently idle toreceive customers that are “routed” from other (outputting) merchants.The measurements may be made, for example, by a POS terminal with whichcustomers are interacting, by another device in a store, or by a webserver that measures the number of customer accessing a web site. Themeasurements or data indicative of the activity rate would then betransmitted to the server 210 (FIG. 2) via a store controller incommunication with the POS terminal or other device. Alternatively, themeasurements may be transmitted to the Internet service provider 120(FIG. 1). The server 210 or Internet service provider 120 could measurethe activity rate by receiving the measurement signal and/or byreceiving transaction data (or other data) from which an activity ratecan be measured.

[0080] If the measured activity rate is not less than a firstpredetermined threshold (step 1806), then the merchant is not consideredsufficiently idle and it is determined if there is another merchant(step 1808) having an unmeasured activity rate. If so, the next merchantis selected (step 1812) and its activity rate is measured (step 1804).

[0081] If the measured activity rate is less than the firstpredetermined threshold, then the merchant is sufficiently idle. Inresponse, in the bonus database 328 (FIG. 3) an entry is created thatindicates the first merchant and a bonus value (step 1814). The entrymay also include conditions, such as time of transaction, purchase priceand/or item to purchase.

[0082] A second merchant different from the first merchant (i.e. themerchant whose activity rate was measured) is selected (step 1816), andits activity rate is measured (step 1818) to determine whether it issufficiently busy to “route” customers to the first merchant. Themeasurements may be made, for example, by a POS terminal with whichcustomers are interacting, by another device in a store, or by a webserver that measures the number of customer accessing a web site. Themeasurements would then be transmitted to the server 210 (FIG. 2) via astore controller in communication with the POS terminal or other device.Alternatively, the measurements may be transmitted to the Internetservice provider 120 (FIG. 1).

[0083] If the measured activity rate is not greater than a secondpredetermined threshold (step 1820), then the merchant is not consideredsufficiently busy and it is determined if there is another merchant(step 1822). If there is no next merchant to select, then the secondthreshold is reduced (step 1824). The next merchant is then selected(step 1816) and its activity rate is measured (step 1818).

[0084] If the measured activity rate is greater than the secondpredetermined threshold, then the merchant is sufficiently busy. Inresponse, in the offer criteria database 324 (FIG. 3) an entry iscreated that associates the aforementioned entry in the bonus database328 with the second merchant (step 1826). This association effectively“ties” the second merchant to the entry in the bonus database 328.

[0085] The type of bonus offered may be, for example, a discount,another amount of monetary value or a free product (good or service). Inother embodiments of the present invention, the bonus may be a line passor other voucher that allows a customer to receive preferentialtreatment (e.g. not waiting in line). Many types of bonuses may bemeasured by a value. For example, the value of a discount is the amountby which a purchase price is reduced. Similarly, the value of a freeproduct may be the retail price of the product, or the cost of theproduct to the business that sells the product. In accordance with thepresent invention, a business may establish a budget amount that definesthe maximum aggregate value of all offered bonuses. Such a bonus amountmay represent an amount of funds actually transferred to an account andreserved for funding discounts. Alternatively, the budget amount mayrepresent a desirable spending limit of the business, while the businessis subsequently charged for discounts that are redeemed.

[0086] Referring to FIG. 19A, a flow chart 1900 illustrates anotherembodiment of a method provided in accordance with the presentinvention. In particular, in the embodiment illustrated by the flowchart 1900 bonuses are provided in accordance with a budget amount ofthe business.

[0087] Transaction data that represents a customer participating in atransaction with an outputting merchant is received (step 1901). Asdescribed above, a soliciting merchant is selected (step 1902) todetermine a bonus to be offered to the customer. The budget amount ofthe soliciting merchant is determined (step 1904). For example, themerchant database 322 (FIG. 3) may store the budget amount of themerchant (e.g. in the field 634 of FIG. 6). The value of the bonus isset based on the budget amount. In one embodiment, the bonus value is apredetermined value (e.g. $10.00) if the budget amount is at least asgreat as the predetermined value. If the budget amount is less than thepredetermined value, then the value is set lower to remain with thelimits of the budget amount. In another embodiment, the bonus value isset to a first value (e.g. $10.00) if the budget amount is greater thana second value (e.g. greater than $100.00), and the bonus value is setto a third value (e.g. $1.00) is the budget amount is less than thesecond value (e.g. less than $100.00). In this manner, the bonus valuemay be prudently allocated from the budget amount when a lower budgetamount remains available.

[0088] A portion of the budget amount equal to the value of the bonus is“frozen” (step 1908); the portion is made unavailable for allocation ofsubsequent bonuses. Freezing may comprise reducing the budget amount bythe frozen amount. Alternatively, freezing may comprise increasing theamount of a “frozen amount” balance and/or decreasing an “availableamount” balance associated with the budget amount. An offer for thebonus is provided to the customer of the outputting merchant (step 1910)as described above.

[0089] Referring to FIG. 19B, a flow chart 1950 illustrates anotherembodiment of a method provided in accordance with the presentinvention. In particular, the method illustrated by the flow chart 1950is performed after the method illustrated by the flow chart 1900. Themethod illustrated by the flow chart 1950 may be performed periodically(e.g. every ten minutes) and/or upon occurrence of a predeterminedevent, such as when an offer is redeemed.

[0090] If the offer for the bonus is redeemed (step 1952), then thebudget amount of the soliciting merchant is decreased by the value ofthe offered bonus (step 1954). In another embodiment in which the budgetamount is decreased by a frozen amount, the budget amount may beunadjusted but a “frozen amount” balance may be decreased.

[0091] If the offer for the bonus is not redeemed, it is determinedwhether the offer has expired (step 1956). If so, the portion of thebudget amount equal to the value of the bonus is unfrozen (step 1958).Unfreezing may comprise increasing the budget amount by the unfrozenamount. Alternatively, unfreezing may comprise decreasing the amount ofa “frozen amount” balance and/or increasing an “available amount”balance associated with the budget amount.

[0092] A soliciting merchant may have to select from among severalpossible outputting merchants. The soliciting merchant will want toselect the outputting merchant whose customers are most likely to redeemthe offers of the soliciting merchant. In order to optimally select theoutputting merchant, the historical redemption by the customers ofvarious outputting merchants may be measured.

[0093] Referring to FIG. 20, a flow chart 2000 illustrates anotherembodiment of a method provided in accordance with the presentinvention. An outputting merchant is selected (step 2002) from the setof possible outputting merchants. Then, the redemption of offers thatwere output by this outputting merchant on behalf of the solicitingmerchant is determined (step 2004). For example, such information onredemption may be stored in the offer summary database 332 (FIG. 3). Ifthere are more outputting merchants (step 2006) whose redemptioninformation must be measured, then the next outputting merchant isselected (step 2008) and processed. When all possible outputtingmerchants have been processed, the outputting merchant with the maximumredemption is selected (step 2010).

[0094] Referring to FIG. 21, a flow chart 2100 illustrates anotherembodiment of a method provided in accordance with the presentinvention. In particular, the illustrated method allows the selection ofa soliciting merchant from among several possible soliciting merchantsby referring to priority ratings of the soliciting merchants. Thepriority of each merchant may be established by an amount of funds paidby the merchant. For example, each merchant could be a charged largeramount of money in return for a higher priority. The priority of eachmerchant may also be established by one or more predetermined rules(e.g. stored in the priority database 326 of FIG. 3) or the activityrate of the merchant, as described above.

[0095] Transaction data that represents a customer participating in atransaction with an outputting merchant is received (step 2102). Asdescribed above, soliciting merchants for which the outputting merchantmay provide offers is determined (step 2104). There may be restrictionson whether a merchant may be considered a soliciting merchant for whichthe outputting merchant may provide offers. One restriction is whetherthere is an appropriate entry in the offer criteria database 324 (FIG.3). For example, there must be an entry having an indication of thisoutputting merchant in the field 824 (FIG. 8) and an indication of thissoliciting merchant in the field 832 (FIG. 8). A further restriction maybe specified by the field 722 (FIG. 7) described above. If there is notmore than one possible soliciting merchant (step 2106), then the offercorresponding to the soliciting merchant is provided (step 2108) asdescribed above.

[0096] If there is more than one possible soliciting merchant, then thepriority of each soliciting merchant is determined (step 2110). Forexample, such priorities may be stored in the merchant database 322. Thefield 638 of FIG. 6 indicates a priority for each merchant.Alternatively, the field 726 of FIG. 7 indicates a priority for eachsoliciting merchant given a particular outputting merchant indicated byfield 702. The soliciting merchant with the highest priority is selected(step 2112), and the corresponding offer is provided (step 2114).

[0097] In another embodiment, if there is more than one possiblesoliciting merchant, then a corresponding offer could be provided foreach of a plurality of soliciting merchants. For example, the customermay be asked to select from two offers for bonuses. The customer couldprovide his selection, which would be recorded, and the selected offerwould be provided, as described above. Alternatively, the customer couldbe provided with both offers. Accordingly, the customer could bepossibly redeem one or both bonuses, as described above.

[0098] Referring to FIG. 22, a flow chart 2200 illustrates anotherembodiment of a method provided in accordance with the presentinvention. In particular, the illustrated method allows a supplementalbonus to be provided to certain customers. For example, if the customerredeems one of the first ten offers, he receives a supplemental bonus.

[0099] Transaction data that represents a customer participating in atransaction with an soliciting merchant is received (step 2202). Next, abonus for the customer is determined (step 2204). The number of redeemedoffers that are similar (or identical) to the bonus is counted (step2206). For example, the offers that were output by the same outputtingmerchant and that were made on behalf of the same soliciting merchantmay be deemed similar. Alternatively, only the offers that were made onbehalf of the same soliciting merchant may be deemed similar.

[0100] If the number of redeemed offers is less than a threshold, thenthe bonus and a supplemental bonus are provided to the customer (step2210). The supplemental bonus may comprise, for example, an increaseddiscount or a free product. If the number of redeemed offers is not lessthan the threshold, then only the bonus is provided (step 2212).

[0101] In a related embodiment, if the customer redeems one of the firstten offers, he receives a bonus. Otherwise, customers are ineligible forthe bonus. Accordingly, if the number of redeemed offers is less thanthe threshold, then the bonus is provided to the customer. However, ifthe number of redeemed offers is not less than the threshold, then nobonus is provided.

[0102] Although the present invention has been described with respect toa preferred embodiment thereof, those skilled in the art will note thatvarious substitutions may be made to those embodiments described hereinwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.For example, besides a purchase a soliciting merchant may also acceptthat the customer perform a number of different types of transactions,such as participating in surveys.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for providing an offer for a bonus,comprising: selecting a soliciting merchant; selecting an outputtingmerchant; and providing to a customer of the outputting merchant anoffer for a bonus in exchange for consummating a transaction with thesoliciting merchant.
 2. The method of claim 1 in which the step ofselecting a soliciting merchant comprises: selecting a plurality ofsoliciting merchants.
 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:receiving a customer selection of a soliciting merchant of the pluralityof soliciting merchants.
 4. The method of claim 2 in which the step ofproviding an offer for a bonus comprises: providing to a customer of theoutputting merchant an offer for each of the plurality of solicitingmerchants.
 5. The method of claim 1 in which the step of selecting asoliciting merchant comprises: selecting based on an activity rate ofthe soliciting merchant.
 6. The method of claim 1 in which the step ofselecting a soliciting merchant comprises: selecting based on apredetermined rule.
 7. The method of claim 1 in which the step ofselecting a soliciting merchant comprises: selecting based on at leastone of a current time, an activity rate of the soliciting merchant, apriority of the soliciting merchant, an availability of the solicitingmerchant, a merchant class of the soliciting merchant, and a number ofoffers provided on behalf of the soliciting merchant.
 8. The method ofclaim 7, further comprising: determining the priority of the solicitingmerchant based on at least one of: an amount of funds paid by thesoliciting merchant, a current time, a predetermined rule, and anactivity rate of the soliciting merchant.
 9. The method of claim 1 inwhich the step of selecting a soliciting merchant comprises: measuringan activity rate of the soliciting merchant; selecting the solicitingmerchant if the activity rate is less than a predetermined threshold.10. The method of claim 9 in which the step of measuring an activityrate of the soliciting merchant comprises: measuring an number oftransactions per predetermined time period.
 11. The method of claim 9 inwhich the step of measuring an activity rate of the soliciting merchantcomprises: determining a number of sales of a predetermined product. 12.The method of claim 11 in which the step of providing an offercomprises: providing to a customer of the outputting merchant an offerfor the predetermined product in exchange for consummating a transactionwith the soliciting merchant.
 13. The method of claim 1 in which thestep of selecting a soliciting merchant comprises: selecting thesoliciting merchant if the soliciting merchant is registered as anoutputting merchant.
 14. The method of claim 1 in which the step ofselecting a soliciting merchant comprises: determining a budget amountof the soliciting merchant; and selecting the soliciting merchant if thebudget amount is greater than a predetermined threshold.
 15. The methodof claim 1 in which the step of selecting an outputting merchantcomprises: selecting based on at least one of: a current time, anactivity rate of the outputting merchant, redemption of offers providedby the outputting merchant, an availability of the outputting merchant,a priority of the outputting merchant, and a merchant class of theoutputting merchant.
 16. The method of claim 15, further comprisingdetermining the priority of the outputting merchant based on an amountof funds paid by the outputting merchant.
 17. The method of claim 1 inwhich the step of selecting an outputting merchant comprises:determining a redemption of offers that were previously output by theoutputting merchant.
 18. The method of claim 17 in which the step ofdetermining a redemption of offers comprises: determining a first amountof offers that were previously output by the outputting merchant; anddetermining a percentage of the offers that were redeemed.
 19. Themethod of claim 17, further comprising: selecting the outputtingmerchant if the redemption is greater than a predetermined threshold.20. The method of claim 1 in which the step of selecting an outputtingmerchant comprises: determining a redemption of offers that werepreviously output by each of a plurality of outputting merchants; andselecting an outputting merchant having a maximal redemption of offers.21. The method of claim 1 in which the step of providing an offercomprises: determining a budget amount of the soliciting merchant; andsetting a value of the bonus based on the budget amount.
 22. The methodof claim 21, further comprising: freezing a portion of the budgetamount, the portion being based on the value of the bonus.
 23. Themethod of claim 22, further comprising: unfreezing the portion of thebudget amount if the offer expires.
 24. The method of claim 21 in whichthe bonus has a value that is based on an unfrozen portion of the budgetamount.
 25. The method of claim 1 in which the step of providing anoffer comprises: determining a value of the bonus; determining a firstportion of the value, the first portion to be paid by the solicitingmerchant; and determining a second portion of the value, the secondportion to be paid by the outputting merchant.
 26. The method of claim25, further comprising: determining a outputting merchant budget amountof the outputting merchant; and determining a soliciting merchant budgetamount of the soliciting merchant.
 27. The method of claim 26, furthercomprising: freezing a third portion of the soliciting merchant budgetamount, the third portion being based on the first portion of the valueto be paid by the soliciting merchant; and freezing a fourth portion ofthe outputting merchant budget amount, the fourth portion being based onthe second portion of the value to be paid by the outputting merchant.28. The method of claim 27, further comprising: unfreezing the thirdportion of the soliciting merchant budget amount and the fourth portionof the outputting merchant budget amount if the offer expires.
 29. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a customer identifierthat identifies the customer; and in which the step of providing anoffer is performed if the customer identifier is included within a setof predetermined customer identifiers.
 30. The method of claim 1,further comprising: receiving transaction data representing atransaction with the outputting merchant.
 31. The method of claim 30,further comprising: determining a criterion for the outputting merchant;and in which the step of providing an offer is performed if thetransaction satisfies the criterion.
 32. The method of claim 31 in whichthe criterion is based on: transaction data for the customer, an age ofthe customer, and a credit card identifier of the customer.
 33. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: receiving transaction datarepresenting a transaction of the customer with the soliciting merchant;and providing the bonus to the customer.
 34. The method of claim 33,further comprising: determining a soliciting merchant budget amount ofthe soliciting merchant; and adjusting the soliciting merchant budgetamount based on the value of the provided bonus.
 35. The method of claim34, further comprising: determining an outputting merchant budget amountof the outputting merchant; and adjusting the outputting merchant budgetamount based on the value of the provided bonus.
 36. The method of claim33, further comprising: determining a condition for the solicitingmerchant; and in which the step of providing the bonus is performed ifthe transaction satisfies the condition.
 37. The method of claim 33,further comprising: counting a number of redeemed offers.
 38. The methodof claim 37, further comprising: providing a supplemental bonus if thenumber of redeemed offers is less than a predetermined threshold. 39.The method of claim 33 in which the bonus comprises at least one of adiscount, a line pass, and a predetermined product.
 40. The method ofclaim 33 in which the step of providing the bonus comprises: crediting acredit card account.
 41. The method of claim 1, further comprising:creating an entry, the entry including an indication of the solicitingmerchant and the outputting merchant.
 42. The method of claim 41 inwhich the entry defines a criterion for the outputting merchant.
 43. Themethod of claim 41 in which the entry defines a condition for thesoliciting merchant.
 44. A method for providing an offer for a bonus,comprising: measuring an activity rate; and transmitting, if theactivity rate is below a predetermined threshold, a request to have anoutputting merchant output an offer for a bonus in exchange forconsummating a transaction.
 45. The method of claim 44, furthercomprising: transmitting an indication of the bonus.
 46. A method forproviding an offer for a bonus, comprising: receiving a request tooutput an offer for a bonus in exchange for consummating a transactionwith a soliciting merchant; and outputting an offer for a bonus inexchange for consummating a transaction with the soliciting merchant.47. A method for providing an offer for a bonus, comprising: selecting asoliciting merchant; selecting an outputting merchant; creating anentry, the entry indicating the soliciting merchant and the outputtingmerchant; providing to a customer of the outputting merchant an offerfor a bonus in exchange for consummating a transaction with thesoliciting merchant, the bonus having a bonus value; receivingtransaction data representing a transaction of the customer with thesoliciting merchant; providing the bonus to the customer; and chargingthe soliciting merchant a charge amount, the charge amount being basedon the bonus value.
 48. The method of claim 47 in which the chargeamount is substantially equal to the bonus value.
 49. The method ofclaim 47, further comprising: charging the outputting merchant asupplemental charge amount, the supplemental charge amount being basedon the bonus value.
 50. The method of claim 49 in which the bonus valueis substantially equal to a sum of the charge amount and thesupplemental charge amount.
 51. A method comprising the steps of:receiving an activity rate of a first merchant; determining whether theactivity rate is below a predetermined threshold; and storing an entrythat corresponds to the first merchant, the record defining a discount.52. The method of claim 51, further comprising: offering to a customerof a second merchant the discount in exchange for consummating atransaction with the first merchant.
 53. A computer-readable storagemedium storing an entry created in accordance with the method of claim51.
 54. A computer-readable storage medium storing a table of entries,each entry created in accordance with the method of claim
 51. 55. Amethod for providing an offer for a bonus, comprising: receiving a firstactivity rate of a first merchant; determining whether the firstactivity rate is below a first predetermined threshold; receiving asecond activity rate of a second merchant; determining whether thesecond activity rate is above a second predetermined threshold;; andcreating an entry, the entry including an indication of the firstmerchant and the second merchant.
 56. The method of claim 55, furthercomprising: providing to a customer of the second merchant an offer fora bonus in exchange for consummating a transaction with the firstmerchant.
 57. A computer-readable storage medium storing an entrycreated in accordance with the method of claim
 55. 58. Acomputer-readable storage medium storing a table of entries, each entrycreated in accordance with the method of claim
 55. 59. A method forproviding an offer for a bonus, comprising: participating in a firsttransaction with a first merchant; receiving an offer for a bonus inexchange for consummating a transaction with a second merchant;participating in a second transaction with the second merchant afterparticipating in the first transaction; and receiving the bonus.
 60. Anapparatus for providing an offer for a bonus, comprising: means forselecting a soliciting merchant; means for selecting an outputtingmerchant; and means for providing to a customer of the outputtingmerchant an offer for a bonus in exchange for consummating a transactionwith the soliciting merchant.
 61. An apparatus for providing an offerfor a bonus, comprising: a storage device; and a processor connected tothe storage device, the storage device storing a program for controllingthe processor; and the processor operative with the program to: select asoliciting merchant; select an outputting merchant; and provide to acustomer of the outputting merchant an offer for a bonus in exchange forconsummating a transaction with the soliciting merchant.
 62. A computerreadable medium encoded with processing instructions for implementing amethod performed by a computer for providing an offer for a bonus, themethod comprising: selecting a soliciting merchant; selecting anoutputting merchant; and providing to a customer of the outputtingmerchant an offer for a bonus in exchange for consummating a transactionwith the soliciting merchant.
 63. An apparatus for providing an offerfor a bonus, comprising: means for measuring an activity rate; and meansfor transmitting, if the activity rate is below a predeterminedthreshold, a request to have an outputting merchant output an offer fora bonus in exchange for consummating a transaction.
 64. An apparatus forproviding an offer for a bonus, comprising: a storage device; and aprocessor connected to the storage device, the storage device storing aprogram for controlling the processor; and the processor operative withthe program to: measure an activity rate; and transmit, if the activityrate is below a predetermined threshold, a request to have an outputtingmerchant output an offer for a bonus in exchange for consummating atransaction.
 65. A computer readable medium encoded with processinginstructions for implementing a method performed by a computer forproviding an offer for a bonus, the method comprising: measuring anactivity rate; and transmitting, if the activity rate is below apredetermined threshold, a request to have an outputting merchant outputan offer for a bonus in exchange for consummating a transaction.
 66. Anapparatus for providing an offer for a bonus, comprising: means forreceiving a request to output an offer for a bonus in exchange forconsummating a transaction with a soliciting merchant; and means foroutputting an offer for a bonus in exchange for consummating atransaction with the soliciting merchant.
 67. An apparatus for providingan offer for a bonus, comprising: a storage device; and a processorconnected to the storage device, the storage device storing a programfor controlling the processor; and the processor operative with theprogram to: receive a request to output an offer for a bonus in exchangefor consummating a transaction with a soliciting merchant; and output anoffer for a bonus in exchange for consummating a transaction with thesoliciting merchant.
 68. A computer readable medium encoded withprocessing instructions for implementing a method performed by acomputer for providing an offer for a bonus, the method comprising:receiving a request to output an offer for a bonus in exchange forconsummating a transaction with a soliciting merchant; and outputting anoffer for a bonus in exchange for consummating a transaction with thesoliciting merchant.
 69. An apparatus comprising: means for receiving anactivity rate of a first merchant; means for determining whether theactivity rate is below a predetermined threshold; and means for storingan entry that corresponds to the first merchant, the record defining adiscount.
 70. An apparatus comprising: a storage device; and a processorconnected to the storage device, the storage device storing a programfor controlling the processor; and the processor operative with theprogram to: receive an activity rate of a first merchant; determinewhether the activity rate is below a predetermined threshold; and storean entry that corresponds to the first merchant, the record defining adiscount.
 71. A computer readable medium encoded with processinginstructions for implementing a method performed by a computer, themethod comprising the steps of: receiving an activity rate of a firstmerchant; determining whether the activity rate is below a predeterminedthreshold; and storing an entry that corresponds to the first merchant,the record defining a discount.
 72. An apparatus for providing an offerfor a bonus, comprising: means for receiving a first activity rate of afirst merchant; means for determining whether the first activity rate isbelow a first predetermined threshold; means for receiving a secondactivity rate of a second merchant; means for determining whether thesecond activity rate is above a second predetermined threshold; andmeans for creating an entry, the entry including an indication of thefirst merchant and the second merchant.
 73. An apparatus for providingan offer for a bonus, comprising: a storage device; and a processorconnected to the storage device, the storage device storing a programfor controlling the processor; and the processor operative with theprogram to: receive a first activity rate of a first merchant; determinewhether the first activity rate is below a first predeterminedthreshold; receive a second activity rate of a second merchant;determine whether the second activity rate is above a secondpredetermined threshold; and create an entry, the entry including anindication of the first merchant and the second merchant.
 74. A computerreadable medium encoded with processing instructions for implementing amethod performed by a computer for providing an offer for a bonus, themethod comprising: receiving a first activity rate of a first merchant;determining whether the first activity rate is below a firstpredetermined threshold; receiving a second activity rate of a secondmerchant; determining whether the second activity rate is above a secondpredetermined threshold; and creating an entry, the entry including anindication of the first merchant and the second merchant.
 75. Anapparatus for providing an offer for a bonus, comprising: means forparticipating in a first transaction with a first merchant; means forreceiving an offer for a bonus in exchange for consummating atransaction with a second merchant; means for participating in a secondtransaction with the second merchant after participating in the firsttransaction; and means for receiving the bonus.
 76. An apparatus forproviding an offer for a bonus, comprising: a storage device; and aprocessor connected to the storage device, the storage device storing aprogram for controlling the processor; and the processor operative withthe program to: participate in a first transaction with a firstmerchant; receive an offer for a bonus in exchange for consummating atransaction with a second merchant; participate in a second transactionwith the second merchant after participating in the first transaction;and receive the bonus.
 77. A computer readable medium encoded withprocessing instructions for implementing a method performed by acomputer for providing an offer for a bonus, the method comprising:participating in a first transaction with a first merchant; receiving anoffer for a bonus in exchange for consummating a transaction with asecond merchant; participating in a second transaction with the secondmerchant after participating in the first transaction; and receiving thebonus.